On Monday night I received a call from Jason Torchinsky’s wife, Sally, who informed me that Jason had suffered what seemed at the time like early stages of a heart attack. With intense chest and stomach pain, Jason had to be take in an ambulance to the local hospital, where he underwent surgery for a tear in his aorta. The Taillight-King is currently recovering, and seems in good spirits.
I’m gonna keep this blog short, because there’s a lot rushing through my mind at the moment. Jason Torchinsky is, of course, way, way more than my coworker, he’s one of my closest friends and a titan in the automotive media world who has made cars fun and approachable in ways that nobody has ever done before. Squid cars? Ham bumpers? Sushi taillights? An entire world themed around taillight gangs? I could go on and on. Jason is the soul of The Autopian, just as he was the soul of the German Lighting Site, but more than that, he’s an amazing, one-of-one human being with an awesome wife, Sally, and fantastic son, Otto. Which is why I’m so glad to hear that Jason is recovering well after surgery.
What happened is something called “Aortic dissection.” Here’s a little primer on this rather serious condition via St. Clair Hospital’s website:
An aortic dissection is a medical emergency. In this condition, a tear occurs in the inner layer of the large blood vessel branching off the heart. This blood vessel is called the aorta. Aortic dissection is most common in men in their 60s and 70s.Symptoms include sudden, severe chest pain that spreads to the neck or down the back and sudden stomach pain. Other symptoms include loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, and stroke symptoms such as trouble seeing, speaking or moving. Treatment includes surgery to fix the aorta and medicines, such as beta blockers.
He’ll be back here blogging crazy taillight blogs before you know it, but until then, he’ll take a nice, long, well-deserved and much-needed break.
We love you, Torch. Get well soon so we can fix your Beetle’s engine. And your F-150’s flywheel. And your Pao’s hood. And the Tiguan’s…Volkswagen-iness. And your RV’s…everything. Actually, forget I mentioned those — you don’t need that stress in your life. Just relax and enjoy the holiday season.
UPDATE: You can support Jason HERE.
Rest a recoupe, and come back when your ready. Don’t rush. We can wait.
Torch!!! Get well soon!
Get better soon Torch!
And I guess since it was chest-related for real, no pasties. Adrian’s never going to let you live that down I bet.
Just like many old Autopian cars, a couple of spot welds here and there and you’ll be ready for the road again!
Good luck to you and the Torch family!
Even the highest quality taillights can flicker.
Best wishes for your recovery Jason!
Get well soon Jason!
Best wishes on your recovery, Jason!
Damn deer! We love you Torch! Can’t wait to have you back!
Get well soon Torch!
Torch, At my age that shit scares the shit out of me so Keep On Trucken!!
Rest up and get better. We’ll do our best to hold back the hordes of red rear turn signal enjoyers, but we need our fearless leader.
Take care of yourself – the (motor) world needs you for many years to come!
Holy crap Jason Torchinsky! Cut that shit out and get better soon!
Get well soon Torch! You scared us rather throughly. We are looking forward to that upcoming piece on ambulance space utilization and their tail light technology.
Get well soon Jason! Refuah Shlemah
Hey Torch. Let that Aortic Bondo dry completely before sanding and paint. Heal up well and best for a speedy recovery.
All the best for a quick and full recovery. Modern cardio technology is just amazing and you will be back examining Yugoslavian tail light lenses in no time. Just listen to your doc:)
Here’s to a speedy recovery! And the to start of the new Autopian Aorta Awareness Week…
Jason – I hope you make a quick recovery and I can’t wait to see you post here again.
Getting old is a bitch. Get well soon, Torch!
But it damn sure beats the alternative!
We love ya Torch! Get back on the retro Mac pronto.
Get well soon Torch. I’m already missing your taillight articles that I try not to read, but must.
This is what happens when you drink too much washer fluid at the taillight bar.
In all seriousness, rest up and take care of your health, Torch! Hopefully there will be no lingering issues and you will be back to wacky blogs in the near future.
Damn, Jason! Maybe next time let Sally open the repair estimate on the Pao.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery, and for Godsake, follow the doc’s advice no matter how much boiled chicken and steamed rice he tells you to eat.
Just the fact that he was properly diagnosed tells me he was in the hands of a great medical team. Dude dodged a bullet.
Wishing Jason a speedy recovery.